Heart recipient encourages people to become organ donors

EAST PENNSBORO TOWNSHIP, CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. - April is Donate Life month. To bring awareness to the importance of organ donation, state officials are reminding people to sign up to be organ donors.

Brittany Grimm was 9-years-old when she was diagnosed with a heart condition causing her heart to become enlarged and not pump enough blood.

"There's really nothing you can do for it," said Grimm. "You either just wait until you can get a transplant or you just pass away."

When she was 11 and on the organ donor list, she went into cardiac arrest. Luckily, someone who recently passed was a donor and match.

"After my transplant I really dedicated my life to spreading the word," said Grimm. "Because without my donor I wouldn't be here today and I'm living on borrowed time."

Grimm, along with state officials spent Friday at the PennDOT Driver's License Center in East Pennsboro Township, reminding people to be an organ donor. It's as easy as checking a box when getting or renewing your license or photo I.D. Almost 5 million Pennsylvanians are organ donors. More than 7,000 Pennsylvanians are still waiting for an organ transplant.

"We want to have more possibilities for people who need a life saving transplant," said Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine.